Outgoing school board member now an incoming school board member

When Anupam Chugh-Sidhu lost in the November election for a six-year term on the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education, she probably figured she was done with the board for at least a couple of years.

Not so fast.

Chugh-Sidhu, facing the end of her term at her final school board meeting of the year, was chosen to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former board member Patricia Mullen. Mullen submitted her resignation Nov. 20.

She said she's "excited and grateful" for the chance to continue doing the work of the board.

"I believe in this work and value it immensely," Chugh-Sidhu said. "I believe in our kids, educators, and community. It was another opportunity to do the work that I value and respect alongside with great board members, so I couldn’t walk away from this opportunity."

Chugh-Sidhu, the current board secretary, began her tenure on the P-CCS board in December 2016, and had been scheduled to finish this month.

When former board member Kim Crouch decided not to seek re-election this year, Chugh-Sidhu, who works for Wayne RESA as a tech consultant, decided to seek that six-year term, but lost in the general election.

Mullen, citing an inability to "dedicate the time and energy the position requires and that the citizens and students deserve," resigned effective Dec. 10. The board advertised the position and filled it during its final board meeting of the year Tuesday.

Board President Kate Borninski was happy to be able to welcome back Chugh-Sidhu into the fold.

“The board is fortunate to have (Chugh-Sidhu) continue in her role,” Borninski said. “We think this will provide the board great consistency as we continue our work together to create the best educational experience for all students and families in our community.”

Chugh-Sidhu said the big reason she's happy to be able to step into Mullen's seat is time. She said two years "is not enough time" to see the work come to fruition.

"We just developed board goals for ourselves and I wanted to stick around to work toward these goals which include providing students and educators resources they need to increase student achievement," she said. "We really want to focus on eliminating the achievement gaps and expanding student programs."

Contact Brad Kadrich at bkadrich@hometownlife.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bkadrich.